D&D 5E How often do your Paladins actually violate their Oaths?

[R_J_K75]

This seems like a very punitive attitude, I'm not surprised no one wants to play a paladin in your campaign.

I was just giving my response to thread. I wouldnt say its punitive, just my decision as a DM. Nor did I say that Ive never allowed Paladin PCs in my game, just that generally I dont. 1E & 2E were pretty clear on what a paladin was and what was required to maintain their paladinhood. Most players just played them as glorified fighters so I decided I didnt want them in my game. Ive run two campaigns in 5E since its been out and no one has asked me to run a Paladin but Id be open to the idea depending on the player. I dont ever remember seeing a Rangers code or Druids code, but yes if they act against the tenets of their faith they should be punished by their god, should they follow one; not all do. Difference here is that most Paladins swear an oath to something, again not all Rangers or Druids do.

 

[the Jester]

I've run a LOT of 5e, and there have been dozens of pcs involved, including multiple paladins. So far, I have seen one paladin violate his oath to the point that he got a warning in the form of being unable to get the blood off his hands or sword after engaging in a very aggressive and pointless slaughter as a redemption paladin. And this was after this player, who is the very stereotype of the guy who always plays DN murderhobos, had been doing an amazing job of playing the self-sacrificing, Lawful Good, Superman-morality paladin since he made the character like five or six sessions before. He atoned (I converted the old atonement spell to 5e ages ago, so there was a method for doing so in place in the game). Had he not done so, further willful violations would have put him in oathbreaker status.

Also of interest, a LE pc paladin of vengeance in service to Tiamat got tricked by an abishai into thinking he had stepped across the line when he slew a chromatic dragon. But that was devil trickery, not an actual violation. Still, that paladin shied away from combat with chromatic dragons for years of in-game time.

 

[S'mon]

Also of interest, a LE pc paladin of vengeance in service to Tiamat got tricked by an abishai into thinking he had stepped across the line when he slew a chromatic dragon. But that was devil trickery, not an actual violation. Still, that paladin shied away from combat with chromatic dragons for years of in-game time.

My son's Tiamat-cultist PCs thoroughly approve of this message!

 

[Beleriphon]

Do they ever get punished for not doing the "right" thing? I know some warlocks are more of the "I hope ___ never finds out!" but most are not. For that matter, if someone worships the great old one, what happens when they get to a higher level and Cthulhu notices them?

Easy: Cthulu eats 1d6 investigators characters per round.

 

[Charlaquin]

I selected "other". Generally I didnt allow Paladins in my campaigns as PCs. It takes a special kind of player to pull off a paladin PC. Besides unless the party, and campaign was well thought out Paladins seemed more trouble than they were worth as they seem to cause problems in an average party. With the removal of alignment restrictions in later editions the class has gotten too far away from what I think a Paladin should be. I havent had anyone want to play one in 5E so given the right player I might allow it. Traditionally I reserve the class for NPCs.

I’d say that falls pretty solidly under “I don’t allow Paladins in my game or I haven’t had any players play Paladins” option.

 

[R_J_K75]

I’d say that falls pretty solidly under “I don’t allow Paladins in my game or I haven’t had any players play Paladins” option.

Generally I didnt allow Paladins in my campaigns as PCs, but I have allowed it before, have had players play them and would be open to possibly letting a player play one in the future, thats why I chose other. Sorry probably shouldve have been a little more clear, feel free to change my response if you want, if possible.

 

[Charlaquin]

Generally I didnt allow Paladins in my campaigns as PCs, but I have allowed it before, have had players play them and would be open to possibly letting a player play one in the future, thats why I chose other. Sorry probably shouldve have been a little more clear, feel free to change my response if you want, if possible.

Oh, no worries. I figured you preferred the additional nuance of the “other” option, and that’s fine, that’s why I included it.

 

[Shiroiken]

Not in 5E, but I have seen paladins fall in earlier editions (when they had to be LG, sometimes even Lawful-Stupid). It shouldn't be common, unless the campaign is based on temptation and moral dilemmas. I've had a campaign based on the Arthurian legends, and one of the players was a knight of the round table Paladin who at one point had to betray his lord to do what was right (catch-22, as either choice would have violated his oaths), but was eventually redeemed. Another Paladin PC lost his Paladin-hood for a short period of time after debating with a monk about the morality of his just "murdering" a red dragon in its lair/home (the monk was LE and trying to corrupt the paladin), whereupon he sought out a cleric for an attonment spell. I saw one player in 3E make a VERY bad paladin (he ignored RP as much as possible), and when given the opportunity to become a LN paladin prestige class, which would have fit the way he was playing the character, he decided to become Blackguard instead (because it had the best mechanics).


Oh, and I'm assuming the "I don't allow Paladins" is the @lowkey13 vote

 

[Charlaquin]

Not in 5E, but I have seen paladins fall in earlier editions (when they had to be LG, sometimes even Lawful-Stupid).

Do note that the thread is tagged 5e.

Oh, and I'm assuming the "I don't allow Paladins" is the @lowkey13 vote

Haha I would have included it anyway, but I did have him in mind, and I’m guessing the one vote it has is from him.

 

[Oofta]

I was just giving my response to thread. I wouldnt say its punitive, just my decision as a DM. Nor did I say that Ive never allowed Paladin PCs in my game, just that generally I dont. 1E & 2E were pretty clear on what a paladin was and what was required to maintain their paladinhood. Most players just played them as glorified fighters so I decided I didnt want them in my game. Ive run two campaigns in 5E since its been out and no one has asked me to run a Paladin but Id be open to the idea depending on the player. I dont ever remember seeing a Rangers code or Druids code, but yes if they act against the tenets of their faith they should be punished by their god, should they follow one; not all do. Difference here is that most Paladins swear an oath to something, again not all Rangers or Druids do.

My point is that the fluff for a druid could be considered just as restrictive, just more concise. "Druids revere nature above all, gaining their spells and other magical powers either from the force of nature itself or from a nature deity. "

Yet I don't see many druids that seem to particularly care all that much about nature one way or another. New land being cleared? You could hear the crickets that are losing their home chirp. Living in a dense metropolitan area? No big deal.

Clerics are supposed to be the conduits of a god's power that "strive to embody the handiwork of their deities". Presumably the gods want something to happen that they chose a champion ... yet what the god may want never seems to come into play. Most of the time I'd never know what god a cleric worships if I didn't see their character sheet.

I'm not trying to pick on you personally, this is pretty common. But saying that it would "take someone special" is indicative of an attitude. One that many DMs seem to share. Paladins must be held to a higher standard than any other PC.

In any case, I'm not telling you how to run your game. That's between you and your players. Just pointing out that if you've banned paladins in the past because "they were more trouble than they were worth" that it would be an issue with the player, not the class. IMHO of course.